A Riverview woman has combined work and motherhood with a new parenting website for the Greater Moncton area

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By Paul Merrigan
This Week Staff

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Alison Davidson was already working more 40 hours a week at her current job when she realized that she had an idea that could help others like her.

Her schedule is hectic to say the least, with two demanding bosses and a salary many of us would find hard to swallow - nothing.

Like many people, Alison chose to stay at home with her children after starting her family, which currently consists of Alison, her husband and her two daughters, aged three and a half and two (with baby number three on the way).

Taking her work experience, creativity and desire to meet and help others with young children, led Alison to create OutsideTheCrib.com, a website designed to help parents find resources and activities to help them navigate the winding paths of parenthood.

"Basically it goes back to when I had my first daughter," says Alison.

"Even though I grew up in Moncton, I didn't really know what there was for me to do with my daughter, especially when she was at such a young age.

"I really wanted to find one spot where parents could find things that they could do together as a family and to get information about programs for their children."

"My intention after leaving my last position at the YMCA was to stay at home until the girls started school," continues Alison. "I was feeling that seven years was a long way off and I had been reading a lot about the 'mompreneur' trend.

"It really inspired me to think of something I could do on my time schedule that would allow me to continue to care for children."

Realizing that there was nothing like her site, particularly on a local level, Alison knew that there was a niche that could be filled and OutsideTheCrib was born.

"My intention with the website was to make it as comprehensive as possible for parents - one stop shopping so to speak," explains Alison.

"Life is so hectic that I wanted to locate everything in one spot and I worked really hard to make the information as organized as possible and give parents the ability to easily navigate the site."

Since launching on May 1, the site has averaged well over 100 visitors a day, with new content being added constantly.

"It has been tough to find the balance between caring for my children and working on the site but it's levelling out now since the launch," says Alison.

"My children are definitely the toughest bosses I've ever had so they keep me in line."

"It was a scary and challenging endeavour but also a very exhilarating, and fun one," explains Alison. "I feel very passionate about this site and have lots of ideas for how to expand on it. I feel as though the site is my launching pad. "

"What's great is that I can choose when to work on it, it doesn't choose me," says Alison. "The other day the phone rang while I was fingerpainting with the girls and I ignored it. Work could wait."

For more information on Alison's website or to contribute comments or suggestions, please visit www.outsidethecrib.com.